NFL

Browns’ Tate blasts media over Manziel spotlight

He hasn’t played a single down in the NFL, but there’s already a sense in Cleveland that Johnny Manziel is becoming bigger than the team — at least according to Browns running back Ben Tate.

Speaking with reporters in Cleveland after an offseason practice on Tuesday, Tate said Manziel is receiving too much attention.

“I feel like it,” he said, according to ESPN. “He hasn’t played a down in the NFL yet. So … I don’t know … that’s for y’all to figure out.”

Tate said if he were Manziel, he would be getting weary of the constant attention.

“It’s just as a player I know that I would get tired if people were constantly picking my nose, if I spit to the left or right,” he said. “I mean, it’s annoying. He’s a human being.

Ben TateAP

“He’s a great football player, so I understand why he gets some of the constant media attention. At the same time, I just figure at this stage he’s tired of it and he wants to come in here and do his job and try to win the starting quarterback position.”

Tate continued his offensive, blaming the media for blowing things out of proportion.

“Y’all just hype everything up and make everything bigger than it is,” he said. “That’s what y’all are standing over here for, right? Y’all just want to report the fastest story nowadays. Y’all don’t necessarily check sources or see if they’re right anymore.”

In his own efforts to subdue the Johnny Football hype, Tate had this to say of a picturesque 40-yard, cross-field throw the rookie quarterback made in practice: “It was a good football play. It’s not anything I haven’t seen before.”

Tate was unhappy how his comments were being played up in the media.